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NASA Set To Launch Probe To Mercury

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the careful-he's-a-quick-one dept.

antispam_ben writes "CNN is reporting the upcoming Messenger mission to Mercury is set to launch August 2. The spacecraft uses a combination of technologies (insulation, Peltier devices, careful design and orbit, always keeping the shield side toward the Sun) to keep its electronics at room temperature."

20 of 216 comments (clear)

  1. It's better than... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'd rather have them probe Mercury than Uranus.

    1. Re:It's better than... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      FRY: This is a great, as long as you don't make me smell Uranus. Heh heh.
      LEELA: I don't get it.
      PROFESSOR FARNSWORTH: I'm sorry, Fry, but astronomers renamed Uranus in 2620 to end that stupid joke once and for all.
      FRY: Oh. What's it called now?
      PROFESSOR FARNSWORTH: Urectum.

  2. Cool... by JosKarith · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...well, compared to the melting point of Tin anyway...

    --
    'Don't worry' said the trees when they saw the axe coming, 'The handle is one of us.'
    1. Re:Cool... by haystor · · Score: 5, Funny

      Because it's so hot near the sun, NASA plans to go to Mercury at night.

      --
      t
  3. Messenger huh? by Deflagro · · Score: 4, Funny

    Better hope Microsoft isn't watching, they may sue for copyright violation.

    Nasa: But it isn't MS Messenger!!
    Gates: I don't care, gimme mo' money beeyatch!@#

    --
    Der Tod ist der einzige Weg hier raus!
  4. hmm by Docrates · · Score: 4, Funny

    Nasa's Messenger? I wonder if Trillian will cover it...

    --

    There are two kinds of people in the world: Those with good memory.
  5. Actually NASA is borrowing cooling technology... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...developed by nVidia for the NV30 launch, but scaled back because they only need to protect Messenger from a class G star as opposed to a modern graphics card.

  6. Yeah, but what about the other side? by FortKnox · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...to keep its electronics at room temperature.

    But what about the other side? Lets ask Roosevelt E Roosevelt:

    Well, thank you, Roosevelt. What's the weather like out there?
    "It's hot. Damn hot! Real hot! Hottest things is my shorts. I could cook things in it. A little crotch pot cooking."
    Well, can you tell me what it feels like?
    "Fool, it's hot! I told you again! Were you born on the sun? It's damn hot! I saw... It's so damn hot, I saw little guys, their orange robes burst into flames. It's that hot! Do you know what I'm talking about?"
    What do you think it's going to be like tonight?
    "It's gonna be hot and wet! That's nice if you're with a lady, but it ain't no good if you're in the jungle."

    Ahh, what a great movie.

    --
    Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
  7. Re:room temp? by foistboinder · · Score: 4, Funny

    It doesn't matter what temperature a room is, it's always room temperature.
    -- Steven Wright

    --
    Yet Another Web Site
  8. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  9. Reply from Messenger by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    M'Ger: It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes.

    P.S. Please send more info on carbon-based units infesting Earth.

  10. Proof of a Male-dominated design? by grunt107 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "...the spacecraft must swing once past Earth, twice past Venus and thrice past Mercury before slowing down enough to slip into orbit around Mercury"

    Her>That's the 2nd time I've seen Mercury! Stop and ask!
    Him>I will not ask for directions! I know where we are now
    Her>I have to pee! And you promised we'd get some Venutian shopping done!

    *NOTE* - It is rather interesting that the craft must maneuver like this to get a stable orbit and not get crushed.

    1. Re:Proof of a Male-dominated design? by liquidsin · · Score: 3, Funny

      If it was a male-dominated design, I'd like to think it would "slip into" venus, *not* mercury. The fact that it's beating around the bush so much before it finally gets to where it's going speaks more for a design by the fairer sex.

      --
      do not read this line twice.
  11. They totally modded out that bird... by JBMcB · · Score: 2, Funny

    Entec case fans, Swiftech water cooling with dual radiators, Thermaltake fanless PSU, PC Power bay coolers, the works! Lian-Li designed the case to the BTX standard, and the radiation-hardened 486 is overclocked to 100MHz! All they need now is the NASA case badge...

    --
    My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
  12. Re:Can't we have just one place? by sopuli · · Score: 2, Funny

    The funny thing is that they are going to 'plant' the flag by crashing messenger into Mercury. And here I was thinking that flag-burning was a criminal offence in the USA.

  13. NASA brings you Messenger... by archetypeone · · Score: 2, Funny

    Proudly sponsored by MSN!

  14. Re:But are they... by SEWilco · · Score: 2, Funny

    As with any planetary probe, they are using the scientific standard of the metric system. Of course, as Mercury is smaller than Earth the meter also is smaller. As usual, Earth meters are used until Earth escape velocity is reached. Solar meters are used until the craft decelerates at Mercury. The Mercury meters will then be used for the remainder of the mission.

  15. Too much technology by keoghp · · Score: 2, Funny

    All that technology - what a waste. The cost too!

    If they had sent it at night...

    --
    For problems, seek only the simplest solution, complexity brings with it more problems.
  16. Re:Explanation by edremy · · Score: 4, Funny
    You can't carry enough fuel on the probe to match the orbital velocity and still launch on a small rocket. Mercury's orbital speed is about 47.9 km/sec, Earth's is 29.8 km/sec- you've got to get about 20km/sec (~40,000 mph) from somewhere, and chemical rockets aren't feasible.

    However, you can steal energy from planets using gravity assists. JPL is amazingly good at doing these.

    <tinfoilhat> We do need to worry that JPL is slowly robbing orbital energy from the planets they use. I've been worried about our profligate use of this irreplaceable resource for a long time. Worse, JPL seems to be totally blase about using Earth as one of their prime engines- enough gravity assists and the earth will fall into the sun!

    Join the League to Conserve the Angular Momemtum of Planets today!

    --
    "Seven Deadly Sins? I thought it was a to-do list!"
  17. Blatant commercialism... by the+darn · · Score: 2, Funny

    I know the future of exploration is in the private sector, but must NASA pander so obviously to its industrial sponsors? At least the craft's design is pretty cool... http://new-cars.com/concept/2003/mercury-messenger -concept-photos.html

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    Ceci n'est pas un post.